Apparatus and method for inspecting articles

ABSTRACT

Method and apparatus for inspecting articles with multiple elements to determine if the elements are properly located, which includes pinching at least a portion of the article including at least some of the elements at an inspection station; irradiating the pinched portions of the article and elements at the inspection station with a radiation source; and capturing an image of the pinched, irradiated elements and article with an image capturing device.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to apparatus and methods formaking and inspecting pre-assembled articles, and more particularly toapparatus and methods for inspecting such articles.

Articles such as disposable absorbent garments have numerousapplications including diapers, training pants, feminine care products,and adult incontinence products. A typical disposable absorbent garmentis formed as a composite structure including an absorbent assemblydisposed between a liquid permeable bodyside liner and a liquidimpermeable outer cover. These components can be combined with othermaterials and features such as elastic materials and containmentstructures to form a product which is specifically suited to itsintended purposes. A number of such garments include fasteningcomponents which are intended to be connected together (e.g.,pre-fastened) during manufacture of the garment so that the product ispackaged in its fully assembled form.

For example, one such pre-fastened garment is a child's training pants,which have a central absorbent chassis and front and back side panelsextending laterally out from the chassis adjacent longitudinallyopposite ends thereof. A portion of each of the front and back sidepanels has a respective fastening component disposed thereon. Duringmanufacture of the training pants, the central absorbent chassis isinitially formed generally flat and then folded over so that the frontand back side panels face each other. In pants that have fasteningcomponents, the respective fastening components of the front and backside panels are then aligned and connected together to define anengagement seam. Upon securing the front and back side panel fasteningcomponents together, the pre-fastened pair of training pants is in itsfully assembled three-dimensional form having an interior space boundedin part by the engagement seam.

For quality control purposes, it is often desirable to monitor thepresence of and/or interrelationships between one or more elements of adisposable absorbent garment. For instance, elements such as outercovers, liners, absorbent pads, side panels, elastic components,fastener components, etc. must be positioned or aligned with respect toeach other and/or to other components as desired or otherwise intendedin order to produce an acceptable product. Accordingly, inspectionsystems are commonly used to detect the presence and/or relativepositions of such components during manufacturing. If an inspectionsystem determines that one or more components are out of position andthus do not properly register with other components, the inspectionsystem typically outputs one or more signals indicating that certainarticles should be culled and discarded, that the process should beadjusted so as to bring out-of-position components into proper position,that the process should be adjusted so that subsequent components arebrought into proper registration with one another, etc.

One such registration inspection system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.5,359,525, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.As described therein, registration inspection of a composite productduring fabrication is accomplished by producing an image of the articleand then analyzing the image to detect the relative positions of one ormore components. The detected positions are then compared to desiredpositions to thereby determine whether one or more components areimproperly positioned. This registration inspection system employsconventional video cameras for capturing visible and ultraviolet lightreflected by and/or transmitted through components of the product inorder to produce still video images of such components. Thus, afterproducing a video image of a composite article and its severalcomponents, the image can be analyzed to determine whether thecomponents are properly positioned and registered with one another.

Although highly useful for many applications, the inspection systemdisclosed in the aforementioned patent has certain shortcomings withrespect to the inspection of engagement seams formed by connecting twoelements together such that the engagement seam is essentially twolayers. For example, formation of engagement seams formed by connectedside panels of the training pants described previously has heretoforeentailed connecting the side panels in face-to-face relationships withouter edges of the side panels aligned with each other. To inspect suchan engagement seam, it was necessary only to inspect the exposed outeredges of the side panels so that there was no need to actually capturean image of any underlying elements or edges of the training pants.

However, more recent engagement seams are formed by connecting the sidepanels in overlapping relationship so that the outer edge of one sidepanel underlies the other side panel at the engagement seam. One problemassociated with inspecting such seams is that the lap seam is not heldflat against the light source. This may cause the image to appear fuzzybecause the seam is not at the correct focal length for the camera. Asecond problem is the seam not lying flat against itself. The machinevision system camera captures a two dimensional image of the seam.Therefore, if the seam is not flat, the seam overlap may appear smallerthan it actually is.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention overcomes the above described difficulties anddisadvantages of the prior art by providing method and apparatus forinspecting such articles by pinching the articles in an inspectionstation by various means so that a clear image of the article can beobtained by an image capturing device disposed in the inspectionstation.

More specifically, one aspect of the present invention is the provisionof a method of inspecting an article with multiple elements to determineif the elements are properly located, the method comprising: pinching atleast a portion of the article including at least some of the elementsat an inspection station; irradiating the pinched portion of the articleand the pinched elements at the inspection station with a radiationsource; and capturing an image of the pinched, irradiated portion of thearticle and the pinched, irradiated elements with an image capturingdevice.

In another aspect of the present invention, apparatus for inspecting anarticle with multiple elements to determine if the elements are properlylocated is provided, comprising: means for pinching at least a portionof the article including at least some of the elements at an inspectionstation; means for irradiating the pinched portion of the article andthe pinched elements at the inspection station; and means for capturingan image of the pinched, irradiated portion of the article and thepinched, irradiated elements.

In yet a further aspect of the present invention, apparatus forinspecting an article with multiple elements to determine if theelements are properly located is provided, comprising: a conveyingsystem forming a nip through which the article passes and which is soconstructed and arranged as to pinch at least a portion of the articleand at least some of the multiple elements as they pass therethrough; aradiation source disposed adjacent the nip and which is mounted andarranged so as to irradiate the at least a portion of the article and atleast some of the elements as they pass through the nip; and an imagecapturing device disposed adjacent the nip and which is mounted andarranged so as to capture an image of the irradiated at least a portionof the article and at least some of the elements as they pass throughthe nip.

Definitions

Within the context of this specification, each term or phrase below willinclude the following meaning or meanings.

“Bonded” refers to the joining, adhering, connecting, attaching, or thelike, of two elements. Two elements will be considered to be bondedtogether when they are bonded directly to one another or indirectly toone another, such as when each is directly bonded to intermediateelements.

“Comprising” is inclusive or open-ended and does not exclude additional,unrecited elements or method steps.

“Connected” refers to the joining, adhering, bonding, attaching, or thelike, of two elements. Two elements will be considered to be connectedtogether when they are connected directly to one another or indirectlyto one another, such as when each is directly connected to intermediateelements.

“Disposable” refers to articles which are designed to be discarded aftera limited use rather than being laundered or otherwise restored forreuse.

“Disposed,” “disposed on,” and variations thereof are intended to meanthat one element can be integral with another element, or that oneelement can be a separate structure bonded to or placed with or placednear another element.

“Elastic,” “elasticized” and “elasticity” mean that property of amaterial or composite by virtue of which it to recover its original sizeand shape after removal of a force causing a deformation.

“Elastomeric” refers to a material or composite which can be elongatedby at least 25 percent of its relaxed length and which will recover,upon release of the applied force, at least 10 percent of itselongation. It is generally preferred that the elastomeric material orcomposite be capable of being elongated by at least 100 percent, morepreferably by at least 300 percent, of its relaxed length and recover,upon release of an applied force, at least 50 percent of its elongation.

“Fabrics” is used to refer to all of the woven, knitted and nonwovenfibrous webs.

“Flexible” refers to materials which are compliant and which willreadily conform to the general shape and contours of the wearer's body.

“Force” includes a physical influence exerted by one body on anotherwhich produces acceleration of bodies that are free to move anddeformation of bodies that are not free to move. Force is expressed ingrams per unit area.

“Graphic” refers to any design, pattern, or the like that is visible onan absorbent article.

“Hydrophilic” describes fibers or the surfaces of fibers which arewetted by the aqueous liquids in contact with the fibers. The degree ofwetting of the materials can, in turn, be described in terms of thecontact angles and the surface tensions of the liquids and materialsinvolved. Equipment and techniques suitable for measuring thewettability of particular fiber materials or blends of fiber materialscan be provided by a Cahn SFA-222 Surface Force Analyzer System, or asubstantially equivalent system. When measured with this system, fibershaving contact angles less than 90° are designated “wettable” orhydrophilic, while fibers having contact angles greater than 90° aredesignated “nonwettable” or hydrophobic.

“Integral” is used to refer to various portions of a single unitaryelement rather than separate structures bonded to or placed with orplaced near one another.

“Inward” and “outward” refer to positions relative to the center of anabsorbent article, and particularly transversely and/or longitudinallycloser to or away from the longitudinal and transverse center of theabsorbent article.

“Layer” when used in the singular can have the dual meaning of a singleelement or a plurality of elements.

“Liquid impermeable”, when used in describing a layer or multi-layerlaminate, means that a liquid, such as urine, will not pass through thelayer or laminate, under ordinary use conditions, in a directiongenerally perpendicular to the plane of the layer or laminate at thepoint of liquid contact. Liquid, or urine, may spread or be transportedparallel to the plane of the liquid impermeable layer or laminate, butthis is not considered to be within the meaning of “liquid impermeable”when used herein.

“Longitudinal” and “transverse” have their customary meaning. Thelongitudinal axis lies in the plane of the garment and is generallyparallel to a vertical plane that bisects a standing wearer into leftand right body halves when the article is worn. The transverse axis liesin the plane of the article generally perpendicular to the longitudinalaxis. The garment as illustrated is longer in the longitudinal directionthan in the transverse direction.

“Member” when used in the singular can have the dual meaning of a singleelement or a plurality of elements.

“Nonwoven” and “nonwoven web” refer to materials and webs of materialwhich are formed without the aid of a textile weaving or knittingprocess.

“Operatively joined,” with reference to the attachment of an elasticmember to another element, means that the elastic member when attachedto or connected to the element, or treated with heat or chemicals, bystretching, or the like, gives the element elastic properties; and withreference to the attachment of a non-elastic member to another element,means that the member and element can be attached in any suitable mannerthat permits or allows them to perform the intended or describedfunction of the joinder. The joining, attaching, connecting or the likecan be either directly, such as joining either member directly to anelement, or can be indirectly by means of another member disposedbetween the first member and the first element.

“Outer cover graphic” refers to a graphic that is directly visible uponinspection of the exterior surface of a garment, and for a refastenablegarment is in reference to inspection of the exterior surface of thegarment when the fastening system is engaged as it would be during use.

“Permanently bonded” refers to the joining, adhering, connecting,attaching, or the like, of two elements of an absorbent garment suchthat the elements tend to be and remain bonded during normal useconditions of the absorbent garment.

“Refastenable” refers to the property of two elements being capable ofreleasable attachment, separation, and subsequent releasablereattachment without substantial permanent deformation or rupture.

“Releasably attached,” “releasably engaged” and variations thereof referto two elements being connected or connectable such that the elementstend to remain connected absent a separation force applied to one orboth of the elements, and the elements being capable of separationwithout substantial permanent deformation or rupture. The requiredseparation force is typically beyond that encountered while wearing theabsorbent garment.

“Rupture” means the breaking or tearing apart of a material; in tensiletesting, the term refers to the total separation of a material into twoparts either all at once or in stages, or the development of a hole insome materials.

“Stretch bonded” refers to an elastic member being bonded to anothermember while the elastic member is extended at least about 25 percent ofits relaxed length. Desirably, the term “stretch bonded” refers to thesituation wherein the elastic member is extended at least about 100percent, and more desirably at least about 300 percent, of its relaxedlength when it is bonded to the other member.

“Stretch bonded laminate” refers to a composite material having at leasttwo layers in which one layer is a gatherable layer and the other layeris an elastic layer. The layers are joined together when the elasticlayer is in an extended condition so that upon relaxing the layers, thegatherable layer is gathered.

“Surface” includes any layer, film, woven, nonwoven, laminate,composite, or the like, whether pervious or impervious to air, gas,and/or liquids.

“Tension” includes a uniaxial force tending to cause the extension of abody or the balancing force within that body resisting the extension.

“Thermoplastic” describes a material that softens when exposed to heatand which substantially returns to a nonsoftened condition when cooledto room temperature.

These terms may be defined with additional language in the remainingportions of the specification.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a child's training pants with a fasteningsystem of the training pants shown connected on one side of the trainingpants and disconnected on the other side of the training pants;

FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view of the training pants of FIG. 1 in anunfastened, stretched and laid flat condition to show an outer surfaceof the training pants which faces away from the wearer;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the training pants in its unfastened,stretched and laid flat condition to show an inner surface of thetraining pants which faces the wearer when the training pants are worn,with portions of the training pants being cut away to reveal underlyingfeatures;

FIG. 4 is a schematic of an assembly section of apparatus for makingarticles such as training pants;

FIG. 5 is a schematic side elevation of a folding section of theapparatus for making articles such as training pants;

FIG. 6 is a schematic side elevation of a seaming section of theapparatus for making articles such as training pants;

FIG. 7 is a schematic of a portion of a continuously moving assemblageat one location along the assembly section of FIG. 4;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged side elevation of the folding section of FIG. 5;

FIG. 9 is a top plan view of a portion of the folding section of FIG. 5;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged section view of a portion of a pair of trainingpants at a location within the folding section of FIG. 5;

FIG. 11 is an enlarged side elevation of an upstream portion of theseaming section of FIG. 6;

FIG. 12 is a partial section taken in the plane of line 12—12 of FIG.11;

FIG. 13 is a partial section taken in the plane of line 13—13 of FIG.11;

FIG. 14 is a partial section taken in the plane of line 14—14 of FIG.11;

FIG. 15 is a partial section taken in the plane of line 15—15 of FIG.11;

FIG. 16 is a partial section taken in the plane of line 16—16 of FIG.11;

FIG. 17 is a schematic representation of the upper and scrunch conveyorswith the radiation source above the upper conveyor and the imagecapturing device below the scrunch conveyor;

FIG. 18 is a schematic representation of the upper and scrunch conveyorswith the radiation source and the image capturing device below thescrunch conveyor;

FIG. 19 is a schematic representation of the upper alignment conveyorand the nip roller with the radiation source above the upper alignmentconveyor and the image capturing device inside the nip roller; and

FIG. 20 is a schematic representation of the upper alignment conveyorand the nip roller with the radiation source and the image capturingdevice inside the nip roller.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The methods and apparatus of the present invention can be used to make avariety of pre-fastened articles such as disposable absorbent garmentsincluding diapers, training pants, feminine hygiene products,incontinence products, other personal care or health care garments, swimpants, athletic clothing, pants and shorts, and the like. Moreparticularly, the methods and apparatus of the present invention can beused to make articles in which at least two elements of the article areconnected together during the making thereof to assemble or “pre-fasten”the article. For ease of explanation, the methods and apparatus of thepresent invention are hereafter described in connection with makingpre-fastened child's training pants, generally indicated as 20 inFIG. 1. In particular, the methods and apparatus will be described interms of those for making pre-fastened disposable training pants asdescribed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/444,083 titled“Absorbent Articles With Refastenable Side Seams” and filed Nov. 22,1999 (corresponding to PCT application WO 00/37009 published Jun. 29,2000) by A. L. Fletcher et al., the disclosure of which is incorporatedherein by reference. Training pants 20 can also be constructed using themethods and apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,940,464 issued Jul.10, 1990 to Van Gompel et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,766,389 issued Jun.16, 1998 to Brandon et al.; the disclosures of which are alsoincorporated herein by reference.

With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to FIG. 1, thetraining pants 20 are illustrated in a partially fastened condition andcomprise an absorbent chassis 32 having a front waist region 22, a backwaist region 24, a crotch region 26 interconnecting the front and backwaist regions, an inner surface 28 which is configured to contact thewearer, and an outer surface 30 opposite the inner surface andconfigured to contact the wearer's clothing. With additional referenceto FIGS. 2 and 3, the absorbent chassis 32 also has a pair of laterallyopposite side edges 36 and a pair of longitudinally opposite waistedges, respectively designated front waist edge 38 and back waist edge39. The front waist region 22 is contiguous with the front waist edge38, and the back waist region 24 is contiguous with the back waist edge39.

The illustrated absorbent chassis 32 comprises a composite structure 33(FIG. 3), which when laid flat can be rectangular or any other desiredshape, and has a pair of laterally opposite front side panels 34 and apair of laterally opposite back side panels 134 extending outwardtherefrom. The composite structure 33 and side panels 34, 134 maycomprise two or more separate elements, as shown in FIG. 1, or beintegrally formed. Integrally formed side panels 34, 134 and compositestructure 33 would comprise at least some common materials, such as thebodyside liner, flap composite, outer cover, other materials and/orcombinations thereof, and/or could define a one-piece elastic,stretchable, or nonstretchable pants. The illustrated compositestructure 33 comprises an outer cover 40, a bodyside liner 42 (FIGS. 1and 3) connected to the outer cover in a superposed relation, anabsorbent assembly 44 (FIG. 3) disposed between the outer cover and thebodyside liner, and a pair of containment flaps 46 (FIG. 3). Theillustrated composite structure 33 has opposite ends 45 which formportions of the front and back waist edges 38 and 39, and opposite sideedges 47 which form portions of the side edges 36 of the absorbentchassis 32 (FIGS. 2 and 3). For reference, arrows 48 and 49 depict theorientation of the longitudinal axis and the transverse or lateral axis,respectively, of the training pants 20.

With the training pants 20 in the fastened position as partiallyillustrated in FIG. 1, the front and back side panels 34, 134 areconnected together by a fastening system 80 to define athree-dimensional pants configuration having an interior space 51, awaist opening 50 for receiving the wearer into the interior space of thepants, a pair of leg openings 52 and engagement seams 88 along which theside panels are connected. The interior space 51 of the pants 20 is thusbounded by the absorbent chassis 32, the engagement seams 88 and theportions of the side panels 34, 134 extending on opposite sides of theengagement seams 88 (e.g., between the engagement seams and theabsorbent chassis. As used herein, the “interior space” 49 is intendedto refer to the space between any two portions of a three-dimensionalarticle which generally oppose each. It is understood that a transversecross-section of the article need not be closed, e.g., continuous, todefine an interior space. For example, a two-dimensional article may begenerally folded over on itself so that two portions of the articleoppose each other to define an interior space of the articletherebetween. Thus, the interior space 51 of the training pants 20 shownin FIG. 1 may be defined by the side panels 34, 134 themselves or, ifthe side panels were fully straightened therebetween, the interior spacewould be defined by a combination of the side panels and the front andback waist regions 22, 24 of the absorbent chassis 32.

The front waist region 22 comprises the portion of the training pants 20which, when worn, is positioned on the front of the wearer while theback waist region 24 comprises the portion of the training pants which,when worn, is positioned on the back of the wearer. The crotch region 26of the training pants 20 comprises the portion of the training pants 20which, when worn, is positioned between the legs of the wearer andcovers the lower torso of the wearer. The front and back side panels 34and 134 comprise the portions of the training pants 20 which, when worn,are positioned on the hips of the wearer. The waist edges 38 and 39 ofthe absorbent chassis 32 are configured to encircle the waist of thewearer when worn and together define the waist opening 50 (FIG. 1).Portions of the side edges 36 in the crotch region 26 generally definethe leg openings 52.

The absorbent chassis 32 is configured to contain and/or absorb anyexudates discharged from the wearer. For example, the absorbent chassis32 desirably although not necessarily comprises the pair of containmentflaps 46 which are configured to provide a barrier to the transverseflow of body exudates. A flap elastic member 53 (FIG. 3) can beoperatively joined with each containment flap 46 in any suitable manneras is well known in the art. The elasticized containment flaps 46 definean unattached edge which assumes an upright configuration in at leastthe crotch region 26 of the training pants 20 to form a seal against thewearer's body. The containment flaps 46 can be located along the sideedges 36 of the absorbent chassis 32, and can extend longitudinallyalong the entire length of the absorbent chassis or may only extendpartially along the length of the absorbent chassis. Suitableconstructions and arrangements for the containment flaps 46 aregenerally well known to those skilled in the art and are described inU.S. Pat. No. 4,704,116 issued Nov. 3, 1987 to Enloe, which isincorporated herein by reference.

To further enhance containment and/or absorption of body exudates, thetraining pants 20 desirably although not necessarily include a frontwaist elastic member 54, a rear waist elastic member 56, and leg elasticmembers 58, as are known to those skilled in the art (FIG. 3). The waistelastic members 54 and 56 can be operatively joined to the outer cover40 and/or the bodyside liner 42 along the opposite waist edges 38 and39, and can extend over part or all of the waist edges. The leg elasticmembers 58 can be operatively joined to the outer cover 40 and/or thebodyside liner 42 along the opposite side edges 36 and positioned in thecrotch region 26 of the training pants 20. The leg elastic members 58can be longitudinally aligned along each side edge 47 of the compositestructure 33. Each leg elastic member 58 has a front terminal point 63and a back terminal point 65, which represent the longitudinal ends ofthe elastic gathering caused by the leg elastic members. The frontterminal points 63 can be located adjacent the longitudinally innermostparts of the front side panels 34, and the back terminal points 65 canbe located adjacent the longitudinally innermost parts of the back sidepanels 134.

The flap elastic members 53, the waist elastic members 54 and 56, andthe leg elastic members 58 can be formed of any suitable elasticmaterial. As is well known to those skilled in the art, suitable elasticmaterials include sheets, strands or ribbons of natural rubber,synthetic rubber, or thermoplastic elastomeric polymers. The elasticmaterials can be stretched and adhered to a substrate, adhered to agathered substrate, or adhered to a substrate and then elasticized orshrunk, for example with the application of heat, such that elasticconstrictive forces are imparted to the substrate. In one particularembodiment, for example, the leg elastic members 58 comprise a pluralityof dry-spun coalesced multifilament spandex elastomeric threads soldunder the trade name LYCRA® and available from E. I. Du Pont de Nemoursand Company, Wilmington, Del., U.S.A.

The outer cover 40 desirably comprises a material which is substantiallyliquid impermeable, and can be elastic, stretchable or nonstretchable.The outer cover 40 can be a single layer of liquid impermeable material,but desirably comprises a multi-layered laminate structure in which atleast one of the layers is liquid impermeable. For instance, the outercover 40 can include a liquid permeable outer layer and a liquidimpermeable inner layer that are suitably joined together by a laminateadhesive, ultrasonic bonds, thermal bonds, or the like. Suitablelaminate adhesives, which can be applied continuously or intermittentlyas beads, a spray, parallel swirls, or the like, can be obtained fromFindley Adhesives, Inc., of Wauwatosa, Wis., U.S.A., or from NationalStarch and Chemical Company, Bridgewater, N.J. U.S.A. The liquidpermeable outer layer can be any suitable material and desirably onethat provides a generally cloth-like texture. One example of such amaterial is a 20 gsm (grams per square meter) spunbond polypropylenenonwoven web. The outer layer may also be made of those materials ofwhich the liquid permeable bodyside liner 42 is made. While it is not anecessity for the outer layer to be liquid permeable, it is desired thatit provides a relatively cloth-like texture to the wearer.

The inner layer of the outer cover 40 can be both liquid and vaporimpermeable, or can be liquid impermeable and vapor permeable. The innerlayer can be manufactured from a thin plastic film, although otherflexible liquid impermeable materials may also be used. The inner layer,or the liquid impermeable outer cover 40 when a single layer, preventswaste material from wetting articles, such as bedsheets and clothing, aswell as the wearer and caregiver. A suitable liquid impermeable film foruse as a liquid impermeable inner layer, or a single layer liquidimpermeable outer cover 40, is a 0.02 millimeter polyethylene filmcommercially available from Pliant Plastics of Schaumburg, Ill. U.S.A.

If the outer cover 40 is a single layer of material, it can be embossedand/or matte finished to provide a more cloth-like appearance. Asearlier mentioned, the liquid impermeable material can permit vapors toescape from the interior space 51 of the disposable absorbent article,while still preventing liquids from passing through the outer cover 40.A suitable “breathable” material is composed of a microporous polymerfilm or a nonwoven fabric that has been coated or otherwise treated toimpart a desired level of liquid impermeability. A suitable microporousfilm is a PMP-1 film material commercially available from Mitsui ToatsuChemicals, Inc., Tokyo, Japan, or an XKO-8044 polyolefin filmcommercially available from 3M Company, Minneapolis, Minn. U.S.A.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the training pants 20 and in particular theouter cover 40 desirably comprises one or more appearance-relatedcomponents. Examples of appearance-related components include, but arenot limited to, graphics; highlighting or emphasizing leg and waistopenings in order to make product shaping more evident or visible to theuser; highlighting or emphasizing areas of the product to simulatefunctional components such as elastic leg bands, elastic waistbands,simulated “fly openings” for boys, ruffles for girls; highlighting areasof the product to change the appearance of the size of the product;registering wetness indicators, temperature indicators, and the like inthe product; registering a back label, or a front label, in the product;and registering written instructions at a desired location in theproduct.

The illustrated pair of training pants 20 is designed for use by younggirls and includes a registered outer cover graphic 60 (FIG. 2). In thisdesign, the registered graphic 60 includes a primary pictorial image 61,simulated waist ruffles 62, and simulated leg ruffles 64. The primarypictorial image 61 includes a rainbow, sun, clouds, animal characters,wagon and balloons. Any suitable design can be utilized for a trainingpants intended for use by young girls, so as to be aesthetically and/orfunctionally pleasing to them and the caregiver. The appearance-relatedcomponents are desirably positioned on the training pants 20 at selectedlocations, which can be carried out using the methods disclosed in U.S.Pat. No. 5,766,389 issued Jun. 16, 1998 to Brandon et al., the entiredisclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. The primarypictorial image 61 is desirably positioned in the front waist region 22along the longitudinal center line of the training pants 20.

The liquid permeable bodyside liner 42 is illustrated as overlying theouter cover 40 and absorbent assembly 44, and may but need not have thesame dimensions as the outer cover 40. The bodyside liner 42 isdesirably compliant, soft feeling, and non-irritating to the child'sskin. Further, the bodyside liner 42 can be less hydrophilic than theabsorbent assembly 44, to present a relatively dry surface to the wearerand permit liquid to readily penetrate through its thickness.Alternatively, the bodyside liner 42 can be more hydrophilic or can haveessentially the same affinity for moisture as the absorbent assembly 44to present a relatively wet surface to the wearer to increase thesensation of being wet. This wet sensation can be useful as a trainingaid. The hydrophilic/hydrophobic properties can be varied across thelength, width and depth of the bodyside liner 42 and absorbent assembly44 to achieve the desired wetness sensation or leakage performance.

The bodyside liner 42 can be manufactured from a wide selection of webmaterials, such as synthetic fibers (for example, polyester orpolypropylene fibers), natural fibers (for example, wood or cottonfibers), a combination of natural and synthetic fibers, porous foams,reticulated foams, apertured plastic films, or the like. Various wovenand nonwoven fabrics can be used for the bodyside liner 42. For example,the bodyside liner can be composed of a meltblown or spunbonded web ofpolyolefin fibers. The bodyside liner can also be a bonded-carded webcomposed of natural and/or synthetic fibers. The bodyside liner can becomposed of a substantially hydrophobic material, and the hydrophobicmaterial can, optionally, be treated with a surfactant or otherwiseprocessed to impart a desired level of wettability and hydrophilicity.For example, the material can be surface treated with about 0.45 weightpercent of a surfactant mixture comprising Ahcovel N-62 from HodgsonTextile Chemicals of Mount Holly, N.C., U.S.A. and GLUCOPON® 220UP fromThe Cognis Group of Ambler, Pa. in an active ratio of 3:1. Thesurfactant can be applied by any conventional means, such as spraying,printing, brush coating or the like. The surfactant can be applied tothe entire bodyside liner 42 or can be selectively applied to particularsections of the bodyside liner, such as the medial section along thelongitudinal center line.

A suitable liquid permeable bodyside liner 42 is a nonwoven bicomponentweb having a basis weight of about 27 gsm. The nonwoven bicomponent canbe a spunbond bicomponent web, or a bonded carded bicomponent web.Suitable bicomponent staple fibers include a polyethylene/polypropylenebicomponent fiber available from CHISSO Corporation, Osaka, Japan. Inthis particular bicomponent fiber, the polypropylene forms the core andthe polyethylene forms the sheath of the fiber. Other fiber orientationsare possible, such as multi-lobe, side-by-side, end-to-end, or the like.The outer cover 40, bodyside liner 42 and other materials used toconstruct the pants can comprise elastomeric or nonelastomericmaterials.

The absorbent assembly 44 (FIG. 3) is positioned between the outer cover40 and the bodyside liner 42, which can be joined together by anysuitable means such as adhesives, ultrasonic bonds, thermal bonds, orthe like. The absorbent assembly 44 can be any structure which isgenerally compressible, conformable, non-irritating to the child's skin,and capable of absorbing and retaining liquids and certain body wastes,and may be manufactured in a wide variety of sizes and shapes, and froma wide variety of liquid absorbent materials commonly used in the art.For example, the absorbent assembly 44 can suitably comprise a matrix ofhydrophilic fibers, such as a web of cellulosic fluff, mixed withparticles of a high-absorbency material commonly known as superabsorbentmaterial. In a particular embodiment, the absorbent assembly 44comprises a matrix of cellulosic fluff, such as wood pulp fluff, andsuperabsorbent hydrogel-forming particles. The wood pulp fluff can beexchanged with synthetic, polymeric, meltblown fibers or short cuthomofil bicomponent synthetic fibers and natural fibers. Thesuperabsorbent particles can be substantially homogeneously mixed withthe hydrophilic fibers or can be nonuniformly mixed. The fluff andsuperabsorbent particles can also be selectively placed into desiredzones of the absorbent assembly 44 to better contain and absorb bodyexudates. The concentration of the superabsorbent particles can alsovary through the thickness of the absorbent assembly 44. Alternatively,the absorbent assembly 44 can comprise a laminate of fibrous webs andsuperabsorbent material or other suitable means of maintaining asuperabsorbent material in a localized area.

Suitable superabsorbent materials can be selected from natural,synthetic, and modified natural polymers and materials. Thesuperabsorbent materials can be inorganic materials, such as silicagels, or organic compounds, such as crosslinked polymers, for example,sodium neutralized polyacrylic acid. Suitable superabsorbent materialsare available from various commercial vendors, such as Dow ChemicalCompany located in Midland, Mich., U.S.A., and Stockhausen GmbH & Co.KG, D-47805 Krefeld, Federal Republic of Germany. Typically, asuperabsorbent material is capable of absorbing at least about 15 timesits weight in water, and desirably is capable of absorbing more thanabout 25 times its weight in water.

In one embodiment, the absorbent assembly 44 comprises a blend of woodpulp fluff and superabsorbent material. One preferred type of pulp isidentified with the trade designation CR1654, available from U.S.Alliance, Childersburg, Ala., U.S.A., and is a bleached, highlyabsorbent sulfate wood pulp containing primarily soft wood fibers andabout 16 percent hardwood fibers. As a general rule, the superabsorbentmaterial is present in the absorbent assembly 44 in an amount of from 0to about 90 weight percent based on total weight of the absorbentassembly. The absorbent assembly 44 suitably has a density within therange of about 0.10 to about 0.35 grams per cubic centimeter. Theabsorbent assembly 44 may or may not be wrapped or encompassed by asuitable tissue wrap that may help maintain the integrity and/or shapeof the absorbent assembly.

The absorbent chassis 32 can also incorporate other materials designedprimarily to receive, temporarily store, and/or transport liquid alongthe mutually facing surface with absorbent assembly 44, therebymaximizing the absorbent capacity of the absorbent assembly. Onesuitable material is referred to as a surge layer (not shown) andcomprises a material having a basis weight of about 50 to about 120grams per square meter, and comprising a through-air-bonded-carded webof a homogenous blend of 60 percent 3 denier type T-256 bicomponentfiber comprising a polyester core/polyethylene sheath and 40 percent 6denier type T-295 polyester fiber, both commercially available from KosaCorporation of Salisbury, N.C., U.S.A.

As noted previously, the illustrated training pants 20 have front andback side panels 34 and 134 disposed on each side of the absorbentchassis 32. The front side panels 34 can be permanently bonded alongseams 66 to the composite structure 33 of the absorbent chassis 32 inthe respective front and back waist regions 22 and 24. Moreparticularly, as seen best in FIGS. 2 and 3, the front side panels 34can be permanently bonded to and extend transversely outward beyond theside edges 47 of the composite structure 33 in the front waist region22, and the back side panels 134 can be permanently bonded to and extendtransversely outward beyond the side edges of the composite structure inthe back waist region 24. The side panels 34 and 134 may be bonded tothe composite structure 33 using attachment means known to those skilledin the art such as adhesive, thermal or ultrasonic bonding.Alternatively, the side panels 34 and 134 can be formed as an integralportion of a component of the composite structure 33. For example, theside panels can comprise a generally wider portion of the outer cover40, the bodyside liner 42, and/or another component of the absorbentchassis 32. The front and back side panels 34 and 134 can be permanentlybonded together or be releasably connected with one another such as bythe fastening system 80 of the illustrated embodiment.

The front and back side panels 34, 134 each have an outer edge 68 spacedlaterally from the seam 66, a leg end edge 70 disposed toward thelongitudinal center of the training pants 20, and a waist end edge 72disposed toward a longitudinal end of the training pants. The leg endedge 70 and waist end edge 72 extend from the side edges 47 of thecomposite structure 33 to the outer edges 68. The leg end edges 70 ofthe side panels 34 and 134 form part of the side edges 36 of theabsorbent chassis 32. In the back waist region 24, the leg end edges 70are desirably although not necessarily curved and/or angled relative tothe transverse axis 49 to provide greater coverage toward the back ofthe pants 20 as compared to the front of the pants. The waist end edges72 are desirably parallel to the transverse axis 49. The waist end edges72 of the front side panels 34 form part of the front waist edge 38 ofthe absorbent chassis 32, and the waist end edges 72 of the back sidepanels 134 form part of the back waist edge 39 of the absorbent chassis.

In particular embodiments for improved fit and appearance, the sidepanels 34, 134 desirably have an average length measured parallel to thelongitudinal axis 48 which is about 15 percent or greater, andparticularly about 25 percent or greater, of the overall length of thepants, also measured parallel to the longitudinal axis 48. For example,in training pants 20 having an overall length of about 54 centimeters,the side panels 34, 134 desirably have an average length of about 10centimeters or greater, such as about 15 centimeters. While each of theside panels 34, 134 extends from the waist opening 50 to one of the legopenings 52, the illustrated back side panels 134 have a continuallydecreasing length dimension moving from the attachment line 66 to theouter edge 68, as is best shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

Each of the side panels 34, 134 can include one or more individual,distinct pieces of material. In particular embodiments, for example,each side panel 34, 134 can include first and second side panel portionsthat are joined at a seam, or can include a single piece of materialwhich is folded over upon itself (not shown).

The side panels 34, 134 desirably although not necessarily comprise anelastic material capable of stretching in a direction generally parallelto the transverse axis 49 of the training pants 20. Suitable elasticmaterials, as well as one process of incorporating elastic side panelsinto training pants, are described in the following U.S. Pat. Nos.4,940,464 issued Jul. 10, 1990 to Van Gompel et al.; 5,224,405 issuedJul. 6, 1993 to Pohjola; 5,104,116 issued Apr. 14, 1992 to Pohjola; and5,046,272 issued Sep. 10, 1991 to Vogt et al.; all of which areincorporated herein by reference. In particular embodiments, the elasticmaterial comprises a stretch-thermal laminate (STL), a neck-bondedlaminate (NBL), a reversibly necked laminate, or a stretch-bondedlaminate (SBL) material. Methods of making such materials are well knownto those skilled in the art and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,663,220issued May 5, 1987 to Wisneski et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,226,992 issuedJul. 13, 1993 to Morman; and European Patent Application No. EP 0 217032 published on Apr. 8, 1987 in the names of Taylor et al.; all ofwhich are incorporated herein by reference. Alternatively, the sidepanel material may comprise other woven or nonwoven materials, such asthose described above as being suitable for the outer cover 40 orbodyside liner 42; mechanically pre-strained composites; or stretchablebut inelastic materials.

In particular embodiments, the illustrated training pants 20 includesthe fastening system 80 for refastenably securing the training pantsabout the waist of the wearer. The illustrated fastening system 80includes first fastening components 82 adapted for refastenableengagement to corresponding second fastening components 84. In oneembodiment, one surface of each of the first fastening components 82comprises a plurality of engaging elements which project from thatsurface. The engaging elements of the first fastening components 82 areadapted to repeatedly engage and disengage engaging elements of thesecond fastening components 84.

The fastening components can comprise separate elements bonded to theside panels, or they may be integrally formed with the side panels.Thus, unless otherwise specified, the term “fastening component”includes separate components which function as fasteners, and regions ofmaterials such as the side panels which function as fasteners. Moreover,a single material can define multiple fastening components to the extentthat different regions of the material function as separate fasteners.The fastening components 82, 84 can be located on the side panels,between the side panels such as on the absorbent chassis, or acombination of the two.

The fastening components 82, 84 can comprise any refastenable fastenerssuitable for absorbent articles, such as adhesive fasteners, cohesivefasteners, mechanical fasteners, or the like. In particular embodimentsthe fastening components comprise mechanical fastening elements forimproved performance. Suitable mechanical fastening elements can beprovided by interlocking geometric shaped materials, such as hooks,loops, bulbs, mushrooms, arrowheads, balls on stems, male and femalemating components, buckles, snaps, or the like.

The refastenable fastening system 80 allows for easy inspection of theinterior space 51 of the pants 20. If necessary, the fastening system 80also allows the pants 20 to be removed quickly and easily. This isparticularly beneficial when the pants contain messy excrement. Fortraining pants 20, the caregiver can completely remove the pant-likeproduct and replace it with a new one without having to remove thechild's shoes and clothing.

In the illustrated embodiment, the first fastening components 82comprise hook fasteners and the second fastening components 84 comprisecomplementary loop fasteners. In another particular embodiment, thefirst fastening components 82 comprise loop fasteners and the secondfastening components 84 comprise complementary hook fasteners.Alternatively, the fastening components 82, 84 can comprise interlockingsimilar surface fasteners, adhesive or cohesive fastening elements suchas an adhesive fastener and an adhesive-receptive landing zone ormaterial; or the like. Although the training pants 20 illustrated inFIG. 1 show the back side panels 134 overlapping the front side panels34 upon connection thereto, which is convenient, the training pants 20can also be configured so that the front side panels overlap the backside panels when connected. One skilled in the art will recognize thatthe shape, density and polymer composition of the hooks and loops may beselected to obtain the desired level of engagement between the fasteningcomponents 82, 84. A more aggressive hook material may comprise amaterial with a greater average hook height, a greater percentage ofdirectionally-aligned hooks, or a more aggressive hook shape.

Loop fasteners typically comprise a fabric or material having a base orbacking structure and a plurality of loop members extending upwardlyfrom at least one surface of the backing structure. The loop materialcan be formed of any suitable material, such as acrylic, nylon,polypropylene or polyester, polyethylene and can be formed by methodssuch as warp knitting, stitch bonding or needle punching. Loop materialscan also comprise any fibrous structure capable of entangling orcatching hook materials, such as carded, spunbonded or other nonwovenwebs or composites, including elastomeric and nonelastomeric composites.Suitable loop materials are available from Guilford Mills, Inc.,Greensboro, N.C., U.S.A. under the trade designation No. 36549. Anothersuitable loop material can comprise a pattern un-bonded web as disclosedin U.S. Pat. No. 5,858,515 issued Jan. 12, 1999 to Stokes et al.

Hook fasteners typically comprise a fabric or material having a base orbacking structure and a plurality of hook members extending upwardlyfrom at least one surface of the backing structure. In contrast to theloop fasteners which desirably comprise a flexible fabric, the hookmaterial advantageously comprises a resilient material to minimizeunintentional disengagement of the fastener components as a result ofthe hook material becoming deformed and catching on clothing or otheritems. The term “resilient” as used herein refers to an interlockingmaterial having a predetermined shape and the property of theinterlocking material to resume the predetermined shape after beingengaged and disengaged from a mating, complementary interlockingmaterial. Suitable hook material can be molded or extruded from nylon,polypropylene, polyethylene or another suitable material. Suitablesingle-sided hook materials for the fastening components 82, 84 areavailable from commercial vendors such as Velcro Industries B.V.,Amsterdam, Netherlands or affiliates thereof, and are identified asVelcro HTH-829 with a uni-directional hook pattern and having athickness of about 0.9 millimeters (35 mils) and HTH-851 with auni-directional hook pattern and having a thickness of about 0.5millimeters (20 mils); and Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing Co., St.Paul, Minn. U.S.A., including specific materials identified as CS-600.

With particular reference to FIG. 3, the fastening components 82 aredisposed on the inner surface 28 of the back side panels 134. Thefastening components 82 are desirably positioned along the outer edges68 of the back side panels 134, and abutting or adjacent to the waistend edge 72. In certain embodiments, for example, the fasteningcomponents 82 can be spaced inwardly by a distance of about 0 to about25 millimeters, and more particularly within about 1 centimeter, of theouter edges 68, the waist end edges 72, and the leg end edges 70. Withparticular reference to FIG. 2, the second fastening components 84 aredisposed on the outer surface 30 of the front side panels 134. Thesecond fastening components 84 are sized to receive the first fasteningcomponents 82 and are desirably positioned along the outer edges 68 ofthe front side panels 34, and abutting or adjacent to the waist end edge72. As an example, the second fastening components 84 can be locatedwithin about 2 centimeters, and more particularly within about 1centimeter, of the outer edges 68, the waist end edges 72, and the legend edges 70. Where the first fastening components 82 comprise loopfasteners disposed on the inner surface 28 and the second fasteningcomponents 84 comprise hook fasteners disposed on the outer surface 30,the first fastening components can be sized larger than the secondfastening components to ensure coverage of the rigid, outwardly-directedhooks.

The fastening components 84, 82 can be adhered to the respective sidepanels 34, 134 by any means known to those skilled in the art such asadhesive bonds, ultrasonic bonds or thermal bonds. The fasteningcomponents 82, 84 may comprise separate fastening elements or distinctregions of an integral material. For example, the training pants 20 caninclude an integral second fastening material disposed in the frontwaist region 22 for refastenably connecting to the first fasteningcomponents 82 at two or more different regions, which define the secondfastening components 84 (FIG. 1). In a particular embodiment, thefastening components 82, 84 can comprise integral portions of the waistregions 24, 22. For instance, one of the elastomeric front or back sidepanels 34, 134 can function as second fastening components 84 in thatthey can comprise a material which is releasably engageable withfastening components 82 disposed in the opposite waist region.

The fastening components 82, 84 of the illustrated embodiments arerectangular, although they may alternatively be square, round, oval,curved or otherwise non-rectangularly shaped. In particular embodiments,each of the fastening components 82, 84 has a length aligned generallyparallel to the longitudinal axis 48 of the training pants 20 and awidth aligned generally parallel to the transverse axis 49 of thetraining pants. For a child of about 9 to about 15 kilograms (20–30pounds), for example, the length of the fastening components 82, 84 isdesirably from about 5 to about 13 centimeters, such as about 10centimeters, and the width is desirably from about 0.5 to about 3centimeters, such as about 1 centimeter. With particular embodiments,the fastening components 82, 84 can have a length-to-width ratio ofabout 2 or greater, such as about 2 to about 25, and more particularlyabout 5 or greater, such as about 5 to about 8. For other embodimentssuch as for adult products, it may be desirable for one or more of thefastening components to comprise a plurality of relatively smallerfastening elements. In that case, a fastening component or individualfastening elements may have an even smaller length-to-width ratio, forexample, of about 2 or less, and even about 1 or less.

As shown in FIG. 1, when the fastening components 82, 84 are releasablyconnected, the side edges 36 of the absorbent chassis 32 in the crotchregion 26 define the leg openings 52, and the waist edges 38 and 39 ofthe absorbent chassis, including the waist end edges 72 of the sidepanels 34, 134, define the waist opening 50. For improved formation ofthe leg openings 52, it can be desirable in some embodiments for thefront side panels 34 to be longitudinally spaced from the back sidepanels 134 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. For example, the front side panels34 can be longitudinally spaced from the back side panels 134 by adistance equal to about 20 percent or greater, particularly from about20 to about 60 percent, and more particularly from about 35 to about 50percent, of the overall length of the pants 20.

When connected, the fastening components 82, 84 of the illustratedembodiment define refastenable engagement seams 88 (FIG. 1) whichdesirably although not necessarily extend substantially the entiredistance between the waist opening 50 and the leg openings 52. Morespecifically, the engagement seams 88 can cover about 80 to 100 percent,and particularly about 90 to about 98 percent, of the distance betweenthe waist opening 50 and each leg opening 52, which distance is measuredparallel to the longitudinal axis 48. To construct the engagement seams88 to extend substantially the entire distance between the waist and legopenings 50 and 52, the fastening components 82, 84 can be formed tocover about 80 to 100 percent, and more particularly about 90 to about98 percent, of the distance between the waist end edge 70 and the legend edge 72 of the side panels 34, 134. In other embodiments, thefastening components can comprise a plurality of smaller fasteningelements covering a smaller portion of the distance between the waistopening 50 and the leg openings 52, for example, about 20 to about 70percent, but spaced apart to span a larger percentage of the distancebetween the waist opening and the leg openings.

For the engagement seams 88 to be located at the sides of the wearer, itcan be particularly desirable for the transverse distance between thefastening components 82 of the back side panels 134 to be substantiallyequal to the transverse distance between the fastening components 84 ofthe front side panel 134. The transverse distance between a set offastening components 82, 84 is measured parallel to the transverse axis49 between the longitudinal center lines of the fastening component,measured with the side panels 34, 134 in an unstretched condition.Alternatively, fasteners do not need to be parallel to the transverseaxis 49 of the pant.

FIGS. 4–6 generally illustrate apparatus of the present invention formaking a pre-fastened article, and more particularly for making thepre-fastened, refastenable training pants 20 shown in FIG. 1. Theapparatus comprises an assembly section, generally indicated at 100 inFIG. 4, for making partially assembled training pants 102 in an unfoldedconfiguration, a folding section, generally indicated at 200 in FIG. 5,for folding the partially assembled pants generally at the crotch region26, and a seaming section, generally indicated at 250 in FIG. 6, forconnecting the fastening components 84, 82 of the respective front andback side panels 34, 134 to form the pre-fastened training pants.

The various elements of the training pants 102 can be connected togetherin the assembly section 100 by any means known to those skilled in theart such as, for example, adhesive, thermal and/or ultrasonic bonds.Desirably, most of the elements are connected using ultrasonic bondingfor improved manufacturing efficiency and reduced raw material costs.Certain garment manufacturing equipment which is readily known andunderstood in the art, including frames and mounting structures,ultrasonic and adhesive bonding devices, transport conveyors, transferrolls, guide rolls, tension rolls, and the like, have not been shown inFIGS. 4 and 5. Suitable absorbent supply mechanisms, web unwinds,conveyor systems, registration systems, drive systems, control systemsand the like, for use with the present apparatus are disclosed in U.S.Pat. No. 5,766,389 issued Jun. 16, 1998 to Brandon et al., the entiredisclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Also, the outercover graphics 61 are not shown in FIGS. 4–7.

With particular reference to the assembly section 100 shown in FIG. 4, acontinuous supply of material 104 used to form the bodyside liner 42 isprovided from a supply source 106. The supply source 106 can comprisefor example any standard unwind mechanism, which generally includes apair of spindles, a festoon assembly, and a dancer roll for providingbodyside liner material 104 at a desired speed and tension.

Various elements can be disposed on and/or bonded to the bodyside linermaterial 104 as the material travels in a machine direction identifiedby arrow 108. In particular, a surge layer can be provided at anapplication station 110 and disposed on and/or bonded to the bodysideliner material 104. The surge layer can comprise either a continuous webor discrete sheets. Additionally, a containment flap module 112 can beprovided downstream from the supply source 106 for attachingpre-assembled containment flaps to the bodyside liner material 104. Asvarious elements are added in the assembly section 100, a continuouslymoving product assemblage 113 is formed. The product assemblage 113 willbe cut downstream to form the partially assembled, discrete trainingpants 102.

A plurality of absorbent assemblies 114 can be provided from a suitablesupply source 115. The supply source 115 can be any conventionalmechanism for supplying the absorbent assemblies 114. Generally, aconventional supply source can include a hammermill for forming flufffibers and, if desired, for providing an enclosure for mixingsuperabsorbent material with the fluff fibers, and then depositing thefluff and superabsorbent material on a forming drum having a desiredabsorbent design. The individual absorbent assemblies 114 can bedisposed intermittently on the continuously moving bodyside linermaterial 104, one for each pair of training pants. The position of theabsorbent assemblies 114 can be registered with the position of thesurge material, if employed. The absorbent assemblies 114 can be bondedto one or more other components using adhesives or other suitable means.Alternatively, composite absorbent materials can be fed into theconverting process from rolls or compressed packages, such as festoonedbales.

Continuous webs of material 116 used to form the side panels 34, 134 canbe provided from suitable supply sources 117. The supply sources 117 cancomprise one or more standard unwind mechanisms. The side panel material116 can be cut into individual strips 118 and positioned partially onthe bodyside liner material 104 using an applicator device 120. In thecross machine direction, the individual strips 118 desirably extendlaterally outward from the bodyside liner material 104 (see FIGS. 4 and7) and overlap the bodyside liner material by an amount such as about 2or more centimeters to permit bonding of the strips to the bodysideliner and/or the containment flap material. In the machine direction108, the position of the strips 118 can be registered relative to theabsorbent assemblies 114 so that the product assemblage 113 can be cutbetween the absorbent assemblies with each strip 118 of side panelmaterial 116 forming both a front side panel 34 and a back side panel134 of consecutive pants 102.

One suitable applicator device 120 is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos.5,104,116 issued Apr. 14, 1992 and 5,224,405 issued Jul. 6, 1993 both toPohjola, which are incorporated herein by reference. The applicatordevice 120 can comprise a cutting assembly 122 and a rotatable transferroll 124. The cutting assembly 122 employs a rotatable knife roll 126and a rotatable vacuum anvil roll 128 to cut individual strips 118 fromthe continuous side panel material 116. The strips 118 cut by a blade onthe knife roll 126 can be maintained on the anvil roll 128 by vacuum andtransferred to the transfer roll 124.

The rotatable transfer roll 124 can comprise a plurality of rotatablevacuum pucks 130. The vacuum pucks 130 receive the strips 118 ofmaterial 116 from the cutting assembly 122 and rotate and transfer thestrips to the continuously moving bodyside liner material 104. When thestrips 118 are positioned as desired relative to the bodyside linermaterial 104, the strips are released from the pucks 130 byextinguishing the vacuum in the pucks. The pucks 130 can continue torotate toward the cutting assembly 122 to receive other strips. Asdisclosed by Van Gompel et al., the material 116 used to form the sidepanels can alternatively be provided in continuous form and pressurizedfluid-jets or a rotary die cutter can be employed to cut the material toform leg openings 52. Still alternatively, the side panels 34, 134 ofthe training pants 20 can be provided by portions of the bodyside liner42 and/or outer cover 40.

A continuous supply of material 140 used to form the outer cover 40 canbe provided from a supply roll 142 or other suitable source. The outercover material 140 can be transported over a laminator roll 144 andbonded to the bodyside liner material 104. The absorbent assemblies 114are thereby sandwiched between the continuous materials 104 and 140. Theinward portions of the strips 118 of side panel material 116 can also bedisposed between the bodyside liner material 104 and the outer covermaterial 140. Alternative configurations for attaching the side panelmaterial 116 are disclosed by Van Gompel et al. Various elements such asleg elastics 58 or waist elastics 54 and 56 can be bonded to the outercover material 140 at an application station 146 prior to uniting thebodyside liner and outer cover materials 104 and 140. Alternatively, legelastics or waist elastics can be initially bonded to the bodyside linermaterial 104 or another material.

Bonding devices 148 such as ultrasonic bonders can be employeddownstream from the laminator roll 144 to bond the bodyside linermaterial 104, side panel material 116 and outer cover material 140. Forexample, these materials can be transported between a rotary ultrasonichorn and an anvil roll. Suitable rotary ultrasonic horns are describedin U.S. Pat. No. 5,110,403 to Ehlert, which is incorporated herein byreference. Such rotary ultrasonic horns generally have a diameter offrom about 5 to about 20 centimeters and a width of from about 2 toabout 15 centimeters. Alternatively, the ultrasonic horn may be astationary ultrasonic horn as is also known to those skilled in the art.Other suitable ultrasonic horns and ultrasonic bonders are commerciallyavailable from Branson Sonic Power Company, Danbury, Conn., U.S.A. Thebonding devices 148 could otherwise be a thermal or adhesive bonder asare well known.

The continuously moving product assemblage 113 next advances to afastener application station 150 where fastening components 82, 84 arebonded to the strips 118 of side panel material 116. The location of thefastening components 82, 84 on the composite is a function in part ofthe configuration of the assembly section 100. As shown in FIG. 4, theassembly section 100 of the illustrated embodiment is configured so thatthe upward facing surface of the product assemblage 113 will become theouter surface 30 of the training pants 20 and the downward facingsurface will become the inner surface 28. Moreover, the illustratedassembly section 100 is configured to produce partially assembledtraining pants 102 having the front waist region 22 of a leading garmentconnected to the back waist region 24 of a trailing garment. However, itis understood that the assembly section 100 could alternatively employany combination of different orientations. For example, the upwardfacing surface of the product assemblage 113 could form the innersurface 28 of the finished pants 20. Additionally or alternatively, theback waist region 24 of a leading pair of pants 102 can be connected tothe front waist region 22 of the trailing pair of pants, or the pantscan be arranged in a front-to-front/back-to-back relationship. Stillalternatively, the assembly section 100 could be constructed as across-machine direction process wherein the longitudinal axis 48 of eachpair of partially assembled pants 102 could be perpendicular to themachine direction 108 during part or all of the assembly process.

The locations of the fastening components 82, 84 in this embodiment arebest illustrated in FIG. 7, which shows a portion of the productassemblage 113 moving in the direction of arrow 108 immediatelyfollowing the fastener application station 150. Each individual strip118 of side panel material 116 defines a leading edge 152, a trailingedge 154, a distal edge 156 and an interior edge 158. A dashed line 159illustrates the location at which the product assemblage 113 cansubsequently be cut to provide the discrete partially assembled trainingpants 102. Based on the illustrated orientation of the continuouslymoving product assemblage 113, the first fastening components 82 can bebonded to the underside of the strips 118 and the second fasteningcomponents 84 can be bonded to the top of the strips. Additionally, thefirst fastening components 82 can be disposed relatively closer to thetrailing edge 154 and the second fastening components 84 can be disposedrelatively closer to the leading edge 152. The first fasteningcomponents 82 can be spaced in the machine direction 108 from the secondfastening components 84 so that the cut line 159 passes therebetween.

With reference again to FIG. 4, continuous webs of a second fastenermaterial 160 used to form the second fastening components 84 can beprovided from supply rolls 162 or other suitable sources. The secondfastener materials 160 can be cut into individual second fasteners 84 bycutting assemblies 164 or other suitable devices. The illustratedcutting assemblies 164 include rotatable knife rolls 166, rotatablevacuum anvil rolls 167, and rotatable backing rolls 168. The continuoussecond fastener materials 160 can be cut by blades on the knife rolls166, maintained on the anvil rolls 167 by vacuum, and disposed on thetop surfaces of the strips 118 of side panel material 116.

Similarly, continuous webs of first fastener material 170 used to formthe first fastening components 82 can be provided from supply rolls 172or other suitable sources. The first fastener materials 170 can be cutinto individual first fastening components 82 by cutting assemblies 174or other suitable devices. The illustrated cutting assemblies 174include rotatable knife rolls 176, rotatable vacuum anvil rolls 177, androtatable backing rolls 178. The continuous first fastener materials 170can be cut by blades on the knife rolls 176, maintained on the anvilrolls 177 by vacuum, and disposed on the undersides of the strips 118 ofside panel material 116.

It is contemplated that other arrangements can be used to attach thefastening components 82, 84 to the side panel material 116. For example,the fastening components 82, 84 can be applied to the side panelmaterial 116 prior to uniting the side panel material with the bodysideliner material 104 and/or the outer cover material 140; the fasteningcomponents can be applied to the bodyside liner material 104 and/orouter cover material 140, whether separate side panels 34, 134 are usedor not; portions of other elements such as the bodyside liner and/orouter cover can form one or more of the fastening components; theseparate side panels or integral side panels can themselves form one ormore of the fastening components; the fastening components 82, 84 can beattached as pre-engaged composites or the like without departing fromthe scope of this invention.

After the fastening components 82, 84 are disposed on the strips 118 ofside panel material 116, bonding devices 180 such as ultrasonic bonderscan be employed to bond the fastening components to the strips. Forexample, the strips 118 can be transported between a rotary ultrasonichorn and an anvil roll, which devices are positioned on each side of theprocess at the cross machine direction location of the fasteningcomponents 82, 84. Particular ultrasonic bond patterns comprisingindividual, circular bonds which are compatible with mechanicalfastening materials are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,660,666 issued Aug.26, 1997 to Dilnik et al., which is incorporated herein by reference.Efficient arrangements for attaching the fastening components withnonadhesive bonding devices are further described in U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 09/855484, filed on May 15, 2001 by J. D. Coenen etal. and titled “Methods For Making Garments With Fastening Components,”which is incorporated herein by reference. For secure attachment, it maybe desirable to attach the fastening components 82, 84 to the side panelmaterial 116 with both adhesive and thermal bonds. Suitable attachmentadhesives are available from commercial vendors such as FindleyAdhesive, Inc., Wauwatosa, Wis., U.S.A.

In particular embodiments, the bonding devices 180 can provide timed,non-uniform bonding of the fastening components to the side panelmaterial 116. The degree of bonding, such as the number of bonds perunit area or the bond strength per unit area, can be greater in certaintarget areas compared to non-target areas. Enhanced bonding in targetareas can be beneficial particularly near the waist and leg openings 50and 52 to reduce delamination of the fastening components from the sidepanel material 116. Thus, the bonding devices 180 can be adapted tocreate relatively more bonds or stronger bonds between the fasteningcomponents 82, 84 and the side panel material 116 when the side panelmaterial 116 reaches a particular machine direction 108 location. In oneparticular embodiment, the target areas correspond to portions of thefastening components 82, 84 near the waist edges 38 and 39. The bondingdevices 180 can be registered to provide a relatively higher degree ofbonding which begins while disposed on one fastening component (such asthe fastening component 84 in FIG. 7), continues through the regionwhere the product assemblage 113 will subsequently be cut (see cut line159 in FIG. 7), and ends after being disposed on another fasteningcomponent (such as fastening component 82). Alternatively, the bondingdevices 180 can destroy engaging elements of the fastening components82, 84 in the target areas, so that the fastening components will beless able to aggressively attach to one another in the target areas.

The strips 118 of side panel material 116 can be trimmed if desired, forexample to provide angled and/or curved leg end edges 70 in the backwaist region 24 (FIGS. 2 and 3). To this end, the assembly section 100can include a die cutting roll 182 and a backing roll 184. In theillustrated embodiment, a portion of each strip 118 is trimmed from thetrailing edge 154 (FIG. 7) in order to form the angled and/or curved legend edges 70 in the back waist region 24.

The method and apparatus to this point provides a continuous web ofinterconnected and partially assembled training pants moving in themachine direction indicated by arrow 108. This continuously movingproduct assemblage 113 is passed through a cutter 186 which selectivelycuts the web into discrete, partially assembled training pants 102. Suchcutters 186 are generally known to those skilled in the art and caninclude, for example, the combination of a cutting roll 187 and an anvilroll 188 through which the web travels. The anvil roll 188 can include ahardened steel rotating roll while the cutting roll 187 can include oneor more flexible hardened steel blades clamped onto another rotatingroll. The pinching force between the blade on the cutting roll 187 andthe anvil roll 188 creates the cut. The cutting roll 187 can have one ormore blades depending upon the desired distance between the cuts. Thecutter 186 can further be configured to provide a spacing between theindividual cut pieces after they are cut. Such a spacing can be providedby transferring the cut pieces away from the cutter at a higher speedthan the speed at which the web is provided to the cutter.

With particular reference now to FIGS. 5, 8 and 9, the discretepartially assembled training pants 102 are delivered to and folded atthe folding section 200 using any suitable folding mechanism 202. Forexample, the training pants 102 can be folded about a fold line whichgenerally bisects the training pants laterally through the crotch region26. As such, the waist regions 22 and 24 of the partially assembledpants 102 are positioned in opposed relationship with each other, withthe side panels 34, 134 extending laterally outward therefrom parallelto the transverse axis 49 of the training pants in opposed relationshipwith each other. Desirably, each of the training pants 102 isconsistently folded about the fold line such that the front and backwaist edges 38 and 39 of the training pants align with each other.

A variety of folding mechanisms 202 can be used, such as blade folders,linear folders, book folders, tucker blades or the like. The specifictype selected for a given application may depend upon the type ofgarment being manufactured and the type of fastening mechanism used tosecure the garment in a pants configuration. In the illustratedembodiment, the folding mechanism 202 controls the side panels 34, 134during folding so that the refastenable fastening components 82, 84 areinhibited against engaging one another or engaging another materialduring the folding operation. Other arrangements for maintainingseparation of the side panels 34, 134 and fastening components 82, 84during folding are disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No.09/855981, filed on May 15, 2001 by J. D. Coenen et al. and titled“Folding And Manufacture Of Pants,” which is incorporated herein byreference.

The illustrated blade folding mechanism 202 comprises a plurality ofrotating folding or tucker blades 240 (FIG. 9) which are configured tocontact the training pants 102 along the fold line. Rotation of thefolding blades 240 can force the training pants 102 into a nip 204between two rotating folding conveyors 206 and 208 causing the trainingpants to fold about the fold line. The folding conveyors 206 and 208 canform part of a transport system for moving the folded training pants 102in the machine direction 108 (FIG. 8). The folded training pants 102 areillustrated as being transported in the machine direction 108 with thecrotch region 26 leading the waist regions 22 and 24. Alternatively, theprocess and apparatus could be modified so that the waist regions leadthe crotch region (not shown).

The series of unfolded, discrete training pants 102 can be transferredfrom the vacuum anvil roll 188 (FIG. 4) of the cutter 186 to the upperfolding conveyor 206 (FIGS. 5, 8 and 9). The training pants 102 can beheld by vacuum on the upper folding conveyor 206 and transported towardthe nip 204 formed between the folding conveyors 206 and 208. Whilebeing transported toward the nip 204, the side panels 34, 134 can besmoothed out or straightened if desired by various means including fluidstabilizing devices. For example, air knives 215 (FIG. 8), air bars, airnozzles or the like can be mounted in proximity to the upper foldingconveyor to provide a stream of fluid directed toward the side panels tostabilize and/or straighten the side panels. The air knives 215 can blowthe side panels 34, 134 against skid plates 216 positioned transverselyoutward from the upper folding conveyor belt 212. Alternatively, or inaddition thereto, the upper folding conveyor 206 can incorporate fluidstabilizing devices (not shown) consisting of fluid manifoldsoperatively connected to a high pressure fluid source to fluidly shakethe side panels 34, 134. The fluid stabilizing devices (not shown)desirably prevent folding of the side panels 34, 134 as the trainingpants 102 move along the upper folding conveyor 206. Sensing devices canalso be employed at this point to detect products that have folded sidepanels or that are misaligned relative to the machine center line.

The product folding nip 204 can be formed between a timed vacuum noseroll 218 of the upper folding conveyor 206 and a timed vacuum nose roll219 of the lower folding conveyor 208 (FIGS. 5 and 8). As the leadingedge of each pair of pants 102 is introduced onto the upper nose roll218, a rotary valve can be used to negate vacuum draw of the nose roll.This allows the leading edge of the pants 102 to pass by the nose roll218 without getting sucked into the nip 204. Alternatively of course,the vacuum source can be temporarily disconnected from the nose roll218. Any suitable control system can be used to repeatedly activate anddeactivate vacuum operation of the nose rolls 218 and 219. In particularembodiments, compressed air nozzles (not shown) can be employed to cyclevacuum to the nose rolls 218 and 219. This can be done by injectingcompressed air inside the internal chambers of nose rolls 218 and 219 tonegate the vacuum.

A product control drum 220 can guide the leading half of the trainingpants 102 onto a transfer plate 222 (FIGS. 5 and 8). The product controldrum 220 can comprise a plurality of vacuum pucks 224 which rotate inthe direction of arrow 225. The illustrated product control drum 220includes four vacuum pucks 224 to guide four training pants 102 perrevolution. Rotation of the product control drum 220 can be timed sothat a vacuum puck 224 grabs the leading half of a training pants 102and transfers the,leading edge onto the transfer plate 222. Theabsorbent chassis 32 and/or side panels 134 of the leading half can becarried on a vacuum puck 224 past the nose roll 219 of the lower foldingconveyor 208. Compressed air can be introduced inside this lower noseroll 219 at this point to negate vacuum draw and to permit the entireleading edge and side panels 134 to transfer onto the transfer plate222. Alternatively of course, the vacuum source can be temporarilydisconnected from the nose roll 219.

With reference to FIG. 9, the opposed tucker blades 240 move in anorbital manner to pass through the vertical path of the training pants102. The tucker blades 240 can contact the crotch region 26 of the pants102 and insert the crotch region into the folding nip 204. As thishappens, the leading half of the pants 102 reverses direction over thetransfer plate 222 and is pulled into the nip 204. The vacuum puck 224can cease drawing vacuum at this point to release the leading half.Correspondingly, the trailing half of the pants 102 is pulled around theupper nose roll 218. Thus, both halves of the training pants 102 canchange from motion in a generally vertical plane to motion between thefolding conveyors 206 and 208 in a generally horizontal plane.

The illustrated folding mechanism 202 can maintain separation betweenthe front and back side panels 34, 134. As the pants 102 enter thefolding nip 204, compressed air can be shut off to the upper nose roll218 so that the side panels 34 of the trailing half are drawn by vacuumto the upper nose roll. The trailing side panels 34 are thus drawn tothe upper nose roll 218 and follow its rotation around the roll and overside panel separation plates 230 (FIGS. 8 and 10). Similarly, as theleading half of the pants 102 is pulled into the folding nip 204,compressed air can be shut off to the lower nose roll 219 so that theside panels 134 of the leading half are drawn by vacuum to the lowernose roll. The leading side panels 134 are thus drawn to the lower noseroll 219 and follow its rotation around the roll and beneath the sidepanel separation plates 230.

FIG. 10 illustrates a portion of partially assembled training pants 102positioned between the upper and lower folding conveyors 206 and 208 ata location downstream from the nose rolls 218 and 219. At this point,the training pants 102 have been folded in half and transported in themachine direction 108 (FIG. 8) by the conveyors 206 and 208. Theillustrated folding mechanism 202 can thus maintain the front sidepanels 34 separated from the back side panels 134 during folding.

Each folding conveyor 206 and 208 as illustrated in greater detail inFIG. 10 can comprise a frame structure 210, a plurality of rotatablepulleys 211 associated with the frame structure, and a continuous belt212 carried on the pulleys. A drive system and conveyor shaft (notshown) can be used to rotatively drive one or more of the pulleys. Thefolding conveyors 206 and 208 can comprise vacuum conveyors as are wellknown in the art, in which case the continuous belt can be formed of afluid permeable material. The folding conveyors desirably transport thetraining pants 102 with the longitudinal center line of the pantstraveling on the longitudinal center line of the conveyors. As depicted,the front and back side panels 34, 134 can project laterally outwardfrom the frame structure 210, outstretched in the cross-machinedirection.

While traveling on the folding conveyors 206 and 208, the side panels34, 134 can be smoothed out or straightened if desired by various meansincluding fluid stabilizing devices (not shown). It is possible, ifdesired, to provide fluid streams such as from air bars 215 to guide theside panels 34, 134 outward from the upper folding conveyor 206,upstream of the folding nip 204. In addition, it is possible, ifdesired, to provide fluid streams such as from air bars 217 to continueguiding and controlling the side panels 134 of the leading half of theproduct 102, while over the transfer plate 222 downstream of the foldingnip 204. The air bars 215 and 217 can be located adjacent the outboardedges of conveyors 206 and 208, directing air generally toward the sidepanels 34, 134 of training pant 102 and generally away from the edges ofthe conveyors. The air bars 215 and 217 can additionally be displacedfrom the planes of the conveyors 206, 208 so that the training pant 102can pass between the air bars and the conveyors. Suitable fluidstabilizing devices can comprise air knives, air bars, air nozzles,vacuum devices or the like to provide a stream of fluid directed towardthe side panels. The fluid stabilizing devices can be incorporatedwithin either or both of the folding conveyors 206 and 208 or cancomprise separate devices positioned in proximity to the conveyors.

Following conveyance of the partially assembled training pants 102through the illustrated folding mechanism 202, the front waist region 22and front side panels 34 of the partially assembled training pants asshown in FIG. 10 are disposed above the back waist region 24 and backside panels 134. The fastening components 82 are disposed on the innersurface 28 of the back side panels 134 and the fastening components 84are disposed on the outer surface 30 of the front side panels 34. Theseparation plates 230 can extend in the machine direction 108 tomaintain separation between the front and back side panels 34, 134. Theseparation plates 230 can comprise a low friction material or coating,such as: stainless steel; Teflon®; aluminum; ultra-high molecular weightpolyethylene (UHMW-PE); polyoxymethylene (acetals), for instance ahomopolymer available from E. I. Du Pont de Nemours and Company,Wilmington, Del., USA under the tradename DELRIN; or the like. Inparticular embodiments, the separation plates 230 can comprise a thinlayer of Teflon®, UHMW-PE, DELRIN or the like glued to a plate formed ofsteel, aluminum or the like. The separation plates 230 can be mountedusing suitable support members 232 (FIG. 10) to either the foldingconveyors 206 or 208 or other suitable frame structure (not shown).Alternatively, the side panel separation plates 230 can have airstabilization as a component.

From the folding station 200, the continuous stream of discrete,partially assembled and folded training pants 102 enters a seamingsection 250 (FIG. 6) and is transported therethrough in a machinedirection 108 indicated by the direction arrow in FIG. 6. In general,the seaming section 250 controls the unattached side panels 34, 134 soas to position portions of the side panels, and more particularly therespective fastening components 84, 82 of the side panels, in at leastpartially opposed relationship with each other; to connect the fasteningcomponents together to define the engagement seams 88; and to then pinchor compress the side panels together at the engagement seam and inspectthe pinched or compressed engagement seams 88 to assess whether the sidepanels are properly aligned and connected. The seaming section 250 thusconverts the discrete, partially assembled and folded training pants 102into the pre-fastened training pants 20 (FIG. 1) having the waistopening 50, leg openings 52 and the interior space 51 bounded in part bythe engagement seams 88.

Construction and operation of the seaming section 250 is furtherdescribed herein with particular reference to FIG. 11. FIG. 11illustrates a side elevation of the upstream portion of the seamingsection 250. FIGS. 12–16 are sections taken at sequential locationsalong the seaming section 250. For ease of explanation, these sectionsillustrate only one side (e.g., the right hand side relative to themachine direction 108) of the seaming section 250 and the training pants102 conveyed therethrough, it being understood that the left hand sideof the seaming section is constructed and operates substantially similarto the right hand side.

With particular reference to FIGS. 6, 11 and 12, the seaming section 250comprises upper and lower alignment conveyors, generally indicated as256 and 258, respectively, which broadly define a transport system fortransporting discrete, partially assembled training pants 102 from theupper and lower folding conveyors 206 and 208 (FIG. 5) through theseaming section in the machine direction 108. More specifically, thealignment conveyors 256 and 258 define therebetween a pant transportplane, which in the illustrated embodiment is generally horizontal, inwhich the training pants 102 are transported through the seaming section250. As illustrated, the upper alignment conveyor 256 comprises framestructure 260, one or more vacuum chambers 262 (FIG. 12) defined withinthe frame structure, one or more vacuum cover plates 264 (FIG. 12)mounted on the frame structure and one or more continuousfluid-permeable belts 266 carried on a plurality of rotatable pulleys268 or other suitable devices. Similarly, the lower alignment conveyor258 comprises frame structure 270, a vacuum chamber 272 (FIG. 12)defined within the frame structure, a vacuum cover plate 274 (FIG. 12)mounted on the frame structure and a continuous fluid-permeable belt 276carried on a plurality of rotatable pulleys 278 or other suitabledevices. The vacuum cover plates 264 and 274 and related equipment canbe adjustable if desired to accommodate various pants sizes. A drivesystem (not shown) and conveyor shaft (not shown) can be used torotatively drive one or more of the pulleys 268 and 278. The vacuumchambers 262 and 272 can be operatively connected to a source of vacuum(not shown) and the vacuum cover plates 264 and 274 can be provided witha plurality of holes 269 and 279, respectively.

With reference to FIG. 12, the seaming section 250 is also illustratedand described herein with the training pants 102 oriented such that thefront waist region 22 is drawn against the upper alignment conveyor 256and the back waist region 24 is drawn against the lower alignmentconveyor 258. Thus, the front side panels 34 are initially positionedabove the back side panels 134, with the fastening component 84 of thefront side panel facing up (e.g., away from the fastening component 82of the back side panel). However, it is understood that the pants 102may be inverted, e.g., such that the back waist region 24 is drawnagainst the upper alignment conveyor 256 while passing through theseaming section 250, without departing from the scope of this invention.Also, while the seaming section 250 of the illustrated embodimentassembles pre-fastened training pants 20 with the back side panel 134overlapping the front side panel 34 as shown in FIG. 1, it is understoodthat the seaming section 250 could be configured so that the front sidepanel overlaps the back side panel after passing through the seamingsection.

The upper alignment conveyor 256 of the illustrated embodiment has anoperative width sufficient to draw the full width of the front waistregion 22 and front side panels 34 of the training pants 102 against theupper conveyor belt 266 as shown in FIG. 12 fully or partially along thelength of the seaming section 250. The lower alignment conveyor 258 isrelatively narrow compared to the upper alignment conveyor 256 and has awidth, for example, approximately equal to the width of the absorbentchassis 32, and more particularly the back waist region 24 thereof. Thispermits the back side panels 134 to extend laterally out beyond thelower alignment conveyor 258. As another example, the width of the loweralignment conveyor 258 may generally correspond to the distance betweenthe seams 66 (FIG. 2) along which the side panels 34 and 134 are bondedto the absorbent chassis 32.

The respective vacuum pressures acting on the upper and lower alignmentconveyors 256, 258 are preferably sufficient to draw and retain thewaist regions 22 and 24 of the training pants 102 against the respectiveconveyors to inhibit pinching of the waist regions between theconveyors. Vacuum control of the waist regions 22, 24 also inhibitslateral movement of the absorbent chassis 32 to thereby improvepositioning and alignment of the side panels 34, 134. As an example, theupper alignment conveyor 256 can operate over a range of vacuumpressures, such as about one to about 30 inches of water belowatmospheric pressure. The lower alignment conveyor 258 can also operateover a range of vacuum pressures, such as in the range of about one toabout 30 inches of water or greater below atmospheric pressure. Suitableconveyor mechanisms such as vacuum conveyors or non-vacuum conveyors areknown in the art and available from various commercial vendors and thuswill not be further described herein except to the extent necessary toset forth the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 6 and 11, the seaming section 250 further comprisesside panel positioning devices, generally indicated at 330, forvertically and laterally positioning the back side panels 134 relativeto the front side panels 34; and side panel transfer devices, generallyindicated at 430, for moving the respective fastening components 84, 82of the side panels 34, 134 into engagement with each other to define theengagement seams 88.

The positioning devices 330 of the illustrated embodiment are mounted onopposite sides of the lower alignment conveyor 258, although it isunderstood that the positioning devices may instead be mounted on theupper alignment conveyor 256 or other suitable frame structure of theseaming section 250. Each positioning device 330 comprises an elongatetubular member 332 extending generally in the machine direction 108 froman upstream end (FIGS. 6, 11) 334 adjacent an upstream end of theseaming section 250 to a downstream end 336. The tubular member 332 ofthe illustrated embodiment comprises opposed walls 344, 346 (FIG. 12)together defining a generally L-shaped cross-section of the tubularmember and an internal flow chamber 340 extending longitudinallytherethrough. A slot 342 (FIG. 12) is formed in the tubular member 342in fluid communication with the internal flow chamber 340 and extendslongitudinally substantially the length of the tubular member. The slot342 faces laterally inward toward the lower alignment conveyor 258 forreceiving the back side panel 134 into the internal flow chamber 340(FIG. 12). The walls 344, 346 of the tubular member 332 may be formedseparately and secured together by suitable methods, or they may beformed integrally. It is also understood that the tubular member 332 andinternal flow chamber 340 may be other than L-shaped in cross-sectionwithout departing from the scope of this invention.

The tubular member 332 can be formed of any suitable material. Forexample, portions or surfaces of the tubular member 332 which may comeinto contact with the training pants 102 are desirably formed of a lowfriction material. Suitable low friction materials or coatings includebut are not limited to: stainless steel; low carbon steel; polycarbonatematerial; Teflon®; aluminum; ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene(UHMW-PE); polyoxymethylene (acetals), for instance a homopolymeravailable from E. I. Du Pont de Nemours and Company, Wilmington, Del.USA under the tradename DELRIN; or the like.

The flow chamber 340 of the tubular member 332 is in fluid communicationwith a source of vacuum V via suitable vacuum hoses 350 (FIGS. 6, 11)for drawing fluid, such as air, into the flow chamber via the slot 342formed in the tubular member such that the fluid flows generallylaterally outward within the flow chamber as indicated by the directionarrow in FIG. 12. The vacuum pressure within the flow chamber 340 canvary, for example, from about 1 to about 10 inches of water or greaterbelow atmospheric pressure, and more particularly from about 2 to about8 inches of water below atmospheric pressure. It is also contemplatedthat instead of or in addition to the vacuum pressure, pressurized fluid(not shown) can be directed into the internal chamber 340 via the slot342 to establish the fluid flow laterally outward within the internalchamber.

The fluid flow within the internal flow chamber 340 is sufficient todraw the back side panel 134 laterally outward relative to the machinecenter line, and desirably at least partially into the flow chamber, tothereby promote straightening of the back side panel. The slot 342 andthe flow chamber 340 are thus desirably sized to accommodate the backside panel 134 and fluid flow therethrough. For example, the slot 342desirably has a width of about 5 millimeters to about 20 millimeters,and more desirably about 10 millimeters to about 15 millimeters. Thewalls 344, 346 of the tubular member 332 can converge or divergerelative to one another, or be generally parallel as illustrated. Thedepth of the flow chamber 340 generally depends upon the application andthe amount of back side panel 134 material to be received therein. Forexample, the internal flow chamber 340 may have a depth of about 10 toabout 20 centimeters. As seen best in FIGS. 12 and 13, the slot 342 ofthe tubular member 332 of each positioning device 330 is positionedlower than the lower alignment conveyor 258 so that when the back sidepanel 134 is drawn into the flow chamber 340, the back side panelextends laterally outward and down from the back waist region 24 beingheld against the conveyor belt.

Now referring to FIGS. 11 and 14–16, the side panel transfer devices 430(also referred to as scrunch conveyors) comprise vacuum conveyors spacedlaterally outward of the lower alignment conveyor 258 a distancegenerally corresponding to the lateral positions of the fasteningcomponents 82 of the back side panels 134 as the panels exit thedownstream end 336 of the positioning devices 330. More particularly,each side panel transfer device/scrunch conveyor 430 comprises suitableframe structure 432, rotatable pulleys 434 (FIGS. 6 and 11) associatedwith the frame structure, a vacuum chamber 436 (FIG. 14) defined withinthe frame structure, a vacuum cover plate 438 (FIG. 14) mounted on theframe structure, and a continuous belt 440 carried by the pulleys. Adrive mechanism (not shown) and corresponding conveyor shaft (not shown)can be used to rotatively drive one or more of the pulleys 434. The sidepanel transfer devices/scrunch conveyors 430 can be aligned parallel tothe machine direction or canted inward or outward, for example, toimprove side panel 34, 134 alignment with the machine direction.

Each side panel transfer device/scrunch conveyor 430 angles up towardthe pants transport plane defined by the upper and lower alignmentconveyors 256, 258 as the device extends in the machine direction 108from an upstream end 442 disposed slightly upstream and below thedownstream end 336 of the positioning device 330, to a downstream end444 disposed in closely spaced relationship with the upper alignmentconveyor 256. The side panel transfer device/scrunch conveyor 430 andthe upper alignment conveyor 256 thus define a nip therebetween at thedownstream end of the device, the purpose of which will become apparent.

The side panel transfer device/scrunch conveyor 430 can alternativelycomprise other devices (not shown) for sequentially or simultaneouslyaffecting upward movement of the laterally outward portion of the backside panel 134. By way of illustration, suitable side panel transferdevices 430 can alternatively comprise disks or wheels, either alignedin the machine direction 108 or canted and/or tilted relative thereto sothat the disks or wheels raise the side panels and nip the fastenerstogether. Suitable wheel devices can, but need not, be timed ellipticalwheels, and can comprise vacuum or traction surface wheels or the like.Still alternatively, the side panel transfer devices 430 can comprise4-bar linkage mechanisms carrying a panel engagement head which contactsthe back side panel 134 to raise the panel relative to the plane of thelower alignment conveyor 258. The rotary motion provided by the 4-barlinkage can allow the panel engagement head to raise a back side panel134 relative to the lower alignment conveyor 258, with the back sidepanel being allowed to slip off the inward edge of the panel engagementhead. A drive mechanism for the 4-bar linkage can be programmed to varythe angular velocity of the panel-engagement head such that its velocityin the machine direction 108 matches the speed of the back side panel134 while the panel-engagement head is in contact with the back sidepanel. Alternatively, the angular velocity of the panel-engagement headcan be matched with the velocity of the side panel using a cam gearbox,non-circular gearing, or the like. Such devices could further comprise afeedback system to register the panel-engagement head to the back sidepanel 134. In yet another alternative embodiment, the side paneltransfer devices 430 can comprise folding boards or folding skis toprovide sequential or simultaneous inward and upward relative movementof the laterally outward portions of the back side panels 134 and thefastening components 82.

In operation, the partially assembled and folded training pants 102 arereceived from the folding section 200 into the upstream end of theseaming section 250 generally in the configuration shown in FIG. 10,e.g., with the front waist region 22 of the absorbent chassis 32 foldedover the back waist region 24 and the front and back side panels 34, 134extending laterally out from the front and back waist regions in opposedrelationship with each other. The front side panel 34 is drawn againstthe upper alignment conveyor 256 in an outstretched configuration, withthe fastening component 84 of the front side panel facing up toward theupper alignment conveyor. An outer portion of the back side panel 134 isdrawn through the slot 342 of the positioning device 330 into theinternal flow chamber 340 thereof. At the downstream locationillustrated in FIG. 13, the positioning device 340 has repositioned theback side panel 134 such that the fastening component 82 is laterallynearer the machine centerline. Vacuum is inhibited from drawing alaterally outward portion of the front side panel 34, including thefastening component 84, against the upper alignment conveyor, such as byclosing off laterally outer holes 269 of the vacuum cover plate 264. Asa result, the laterally outward portion of the front side panel 34 tendsto drop, due to gravity, away from the upper alignment conveyor 256 andfolds over a folding finger 267.

The upper alignment conveyor 256 can alternatively provide a uniform ornonuniform vacuum profile in the cross machine direction. In particularembodiments, the upper alignment conveyor 256 can draw a nonuniformvacuum in the cross-machine direction. Specifically, the upper alignmentconveyor 256 can draw a concentrated vacuum at laterally outward regionsthereof as well as in a central region disposed between the laterallyoutward regions. The laterally outward regions can be positioned suchthat they correspond to locations of the front side panels 34immediately laterally inward from the locations of the fasteningcomponents 84. The concentrated vacuum adjacent the inside edge of thefastening components 84 can encourage the inside edge thereof togenerally function as a hinge point for folding. The concentrated vacuumcan be formed by a plurality of slots or an increase in the number ofapertures in the vacuum cover plate 264, by separate vacuum chambers, orthe like. The focused vacuum in the central region can reduce energyconsumption and lessen draw of the back side panels 134 toward the upperalignment conveyor 256.

FIG. 14 illustrates the training pants 102 at a location downstream ofthat shown in FIG. 12. The laterally outward portion of the front sidepanel 34 has been folded through approximately 180 degrees by a suitablepanel folding device (not shown) such that the fastening component 84 ofthe front side panel is now facing down in generally opposedrelationship with the fastening component 82 of the back side panel 134.The panel folding device (not shown) acts on the laterally outwardportion of the front side panel 34 after the panel is folded down overthe folding finger 267 and can comprise, for example, one or more airnozzles (not shown) which blow the laterally outward portion of thefront side panel 34, including the initially outward-facing fasteningcomponent 84, to a horizontal orientation directed toward the centerline of the upper alignment conveyor 256. The panel folding device canoperate on a continuous or timed intermittent basis, and canprogressively fold the side panel 34 or fold the side panel as a singleunit. The panel folding device can alternatively comprise othermechanisms for creating a suitable force to fold or assist to fold thefront side panel 34. For example, the panel folding device can comprisefolding boards or skis which fold the front side panel through 180degrees; a helical surface that pushes the front side panel into thefolded configuration; or the like. Once folded inward, the foldedportion of the front side panel 34, including the fastening component84, is drawn against the upper alignment conveyor to maintain the foldedconfiguration of the front side panel.

Upon reaching the location shown in FIG. 14, the side panel transferdevice/scrunch conveyor 430 is overlapped with the downstream end 336 ofthe positioning device 330 such that the portion of the back side panel134 having the fastening component 82 is supported by the side paneltransfer device as the back side panel exits the positioning device. Atthis location, the fastening components 82, 84 are in opposed,vertically spaced relationship with each other. The side panel transferdevice/scrunch conveyor 430 elevates the fastening component 82 of theback side panel 134 generally in a “z-direction” perpendicular to themachine direction 108 while the remaining extent of the back side panelhangs generally limp between the lower alignment conveyor 258 and thetransfer device, as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16.

The connected fastening components 82, 84 are urged together uponpassing between nip 580 (FIG. 11) defined by the downstream end of thetransfer device/scrunch conveyor 430 and the upper alignment conveyor256 to facilitate increased engagement between the fastening componentsas the training pants 102 are conveyed further downstream. The trainingpants 102 are then transported downstream to an inspection station.

In accordance with the teachings of the present invention, a garmentinspection station can be established in the area of the nip 580, anadjacent roller 578, the upper alignment conveyor 256 and transferdevice/scrunch conveyor 430. This is a desirable location for aninspection station since the training pants 102 are pinched andcompressed by the conveyors 256, 430 and roller 578 to a minimalthickness in the z-direction which presents an image to an imagecapturing device 600 (FIGS. 17–20), such as a camera, which is as closeto two dimensional as possible thus reducing the possibility of errorsin assessing the position of elements on the training pants 102 thatmight otherwise occur due to separation of the elements in thez-direction. A first example of such an arrangement is schematicallyillustrated in FIG. 17 where an image capturing device 600 in the formof a camera is located beneath an upper reach 602 of the transferdevice/scrunch conveyor 430 and a radiation source 604, such as a lightsource, is disposed above a lower reach 606 of the upper alignmentconveyor 256, adjacent the nip 580 where the training pants 102 ispinched. In such an arrangement, the continuous belt which forms thelower reach 606 of the upper alignment conveyor 256 is translucent andthe continuous belt which forms the upper run 602 of the lower alignmentconveyor is transparent. The translucent belt must be sufficientlytranslucent to allow sufficient light from the radiation source 604 toirradiate the training pants 102 so that the camera behind thetransparent belt is able to capture a clear image of various elements ofthe training pants 102 as it passes through the inspection station. Itis to be understood that the positions of the image capturing device andthe radiation source can be reversed within the scope of the presentinvention.

A second example of an inspection station in accordance with the presentinvention is illustrated schematically in FIG. 18 in which the upperalignment conveyor 256 and transfer device/scrunch conveyor 430 andimage capturing device 600 are positioned in the same position as inFIG. 17, but the radiation source 604 is positioned adjacent the imagecapturing device 600. The belt forming the lower reach 606 of the upperalignment conveyor 256 is opaque while the belt forming the upper reach602 of the transfer device/scrunch conveyor remains transparent. In thisembodiment, light from the radiation source 604 is reflected by thetraining pants 102 to be captured by the image capturing device 600.

A third example of an inspection station in accordance with the presentinvention is illustrated schematically in FIG. 19. In this embodimentthe image capturing device 600 is positioned inside the tubular roller578 and the light source 604 is positioned above the lower run 606 ofthe upper alignment conveyor 256. The belt forming the lower reach 606of the upper alignment conveyor 256 is translucent and the surface ofthe roller 578 is transparent. The training pants 102 are illuminatedand imaged as they pass through the nip 580 between the upper alignmentconveyor 256 and the roller 578.

A fourth example of an inspection station in accordance with the presentinvention is illustrated schematically in FIG. 20 in which both theradiation source 604 and the image capturing device 600 are positionedinside the roller 578 and the belt forming the lower run 606 of theupper alignment conveyor 256 is opaque so that the training pants 102are front lit by radiation source 604.

The image capturing device 600 can be a vision inspection camera capableof detecting visible and ultraviolet radiation as well as infraredradiation at wavelengths up to about 1200 nanometers. For example, onesuch device is a charge coupled device (“CCD”) vision camera availablefrom Sony Corporation of Japan under the model designation XC-75/73.However, it is understood that other image capturing devices may used,such as line scan cameras capable of building an image one line at atime from detected radiation as the pants 102 are conveyed past thedevice, as well as any other device capable of producing a one, two orthree dimensional image from detected radiation, without departing fromthe scope of this invention.

The image capturing device 600 may also be provided with a filter (notshown) for filtering unwanted wavelengths of radiation, such as those inthe infrared and/or other spectrums, as desired. Such filters includelow-pass filters which remove radiation above a predefined wavelength,high-pass filters which remove radiation below a predefined wavelength,band-pass filters which remove all radiation except that having awavelength within a predefined range, and combinations thereof. One ormore of these filters may be useful for removing ambient, scattered, oreven incident radiation from the image captured by the image capturingdevice 600. For example, the image capturing device 600 of theillustrated embodiments for detecting infrared radiation can desirablybe provided with a filter for removing (i.e., blocking) radiation, suchas ambient and/or scattered radiation, having a wavelength of or belowabout 830 nanometers (e.g., a high pass filter having a nominal value ofabout 830 nanometers), including visible and ultraviolet radiation.Alternatively (or additionally), one or more shrouds (not shown) maysurround the device 600 to shield the device from, e.g., extraneousradiation sources such as ceiling lights, natural light, etc.

The image capturing device 600 is desirably operable to detect infraredradiation transmitted by the radiation source 604 through the front andback side panels 34,134 at the engagement seam 88 in those embodimentswhere the light source is opposite the image capturing device 600. Atwo-dimensional image of the engagement seam can then be produced by theimage capturing device 600. As a result, the captured image will includevariations therein which correspond to variations in radiation intensity(and/or wavelengths) detected by the image capturing device 600 fromexterior of the pants 102 (e.g., looking at the outside of theengagement seam 88). In one contemplated form, the image produced by thedevice 600 is a black-and-white image in which radiation levelvariations are depicted in varying grayscale levels. Alternatively, suchvariations may be depicted in the image in another manner, such as inthe form of color variations. The image capturing device 600 is inelectrical communication with the inspection system control (not shown)and may be operated continuously or it may be shuttered at a speedcorresponding to the intermittent operation of the radiation source 604to irradiate the engagement seam 88.

The radiation source 604 of the illustrated embodiment is currentlypreferably an infrared radiation source capable of emitting radiation inthe near infrared/infrared spectrum (i.e., radiation having a wavelengthbetween about 700 nanometers and one millimeter). More desirably, theinfrared radiation source 604 emits radiation in the range of about 700to about 1200 nanometers.

In those embodiments where translucent belts are intended to beutilized, it is contemplated that a blended urethane vacuum belt couldbe utilized, such as are available from Midwest Industrial Rubber of St.Louis, Mo., U.S.A.

Also, the methods and apparatus of the present invention are shown anddescribed herein in connection with making a pair of child's trainingpants 20 and inspecting an engagement seam 88 thereof. However, it isunderstood that the methods and apparatus can be used to make andinspect a variety of articles other than pants 20 where such articlescomprise at least two flexible elements connected together during themaking of such articles in overlapping relationship with other to definean engagement seam. Such articles may include other disposable garmentssuch as diapers, feminine hygiene products, incontinence products, otherpersonal care or health care garments, swim pants, athletic clothing,pants and shorts, as well as other articles, such as balloons, tents,sleeves, cigarette packages, bags, and the like, whether such articlesare disposable or not and whether such articles are absorbent or not.

It will be appreciated that details of the foregoing embodiments, givenfor purposes of illustration, are not to be construed as limiting thescope of this invention. Although only a few exemplary embodiments ofthis invention have been described in detail above, those skilled in theart will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible in theexemplary embodiments without materially departing from the novelteachings and advantages of this invention. For example, featuresdescribed in relation to one embodiment may be incorporated into anyother embodiment of the invention. Accordingly, all such modificationsare intended to be included within the scope of this invention, which isdefined in the following claims and all equivalents thereto. Further, itis recognized that many embodiments may be conceived that do not achieveall of the advantages of some embodiments, particularly of the preferredembodiments, yet the absence of a particular advantage shall not beconstrued to necessarily mean that such an embodiment is outside thescope of the present invention.

When introducing elements of the present invention or the preferredembodiment(s) thereof, the articles “a”, “an”, “the” and “said” areintended to mean that there are one or more of the elements. The terms“comprising”, “including” and “having” are intended to be inclusive andmean that there may be additional elements other than the listedelements.

As various changes could be made in the above constructions withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention, it is intended that allmatter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanyingdrawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limitingsense.

1. A method of inspecting an article with multiple elements to determineif the elements are properly located, the method comprising: pinching atleast a portion of the article including at least some of the elementsat an inspection station; irradiating the pinched portion of the articleand the pinched elements at the inspection station with a radiationsource; and capturing an image of the pinched, irradiated portion of thearticle and the pinched, irradiated elements with an image capturingdevice.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein pinching the article includespositioning the article at the inspection station so that the radiationsource is on a first side of the article and the image capturing deviceis on a second side of the article opposite the first side of thearticle.
 3. The method of claim 2 wherein pinching the article iscarried out by first and second conveyors.
 4. The method of claim 3wherein pinching the article further includes conveying the article byone of the first and second conveyors to a nip defined by the first andsecond conveyors where the article is pinched by the first and secondconveyors.
 5. The method of claim 4 wherein irradiating the pinchedarticle comprises passing radiation from the radiation source through aconveyor belt associated with the first conveyor to the pinched article,and capturing an image comprises capturing an image of the pinchedarticle with the image capturing device by receiving radiation whichpasses through a conveyor belt associated with the second conveyor. 6.The method of claim 5 wherein the belt of the first conveyor istranslucent and the belt of the second conveyor is transparent.
 7. Themethod of claim 1 wherein pinching the article is carried out by firstand second conveyors.
 8. The method of claim 7 wherein pinching thearticle further includes conveying the article by one of the first andsecond conveyors to a nip defined by the first and second conveyorswhere the article is pinched by the first and second conveyors.
 9. Themethod of claim 1 wherein irradiating the elements includes placing theradiation source on a first side of the article and capturing an imageincludes placing an image capturing device on the first side of thearticle adjacent the radiation source.
 10. The method of claim 9 whereinpinching the article is carried out by a first conveyor having a beltand a second conveyor having a belt, the belt of the first conveyorbeing opaque and the belt of the second conveyor being transparent. 11.The method of claim 9 wherein pinching the article comprises passing atleast a portion of the article through a nip formed by a conveyor and asurface of a roller.
 12. The method of claim 1 wherein pinching thearticle includes passing at least a portion of the article through a nipformed in the area of the inspection station by a conveyor and an outersurface of a roller.
 13. The method of claim 12 wherein irradiating thepinched article comprises passing radiation from the radiation sourcethrough a belt associated with the conveyor to the pinched article, andcapturing an image comprises capturing an image of the pinched articlewith the image capturing device from within the roller.
 14. The methodof claim 13 wherein the belt of the conveyor is translucent and thesurface of the roller is transparent.
 15. The method of claim 14 whereinthe image capturing device is positioned inside the roller.
 16. A methodof inspecting a disposable pant with multiple fastening components todetermine if the fastening components are properly located, the methodcomprising: pinching at least a portion of the pant including at leastsome of the fastening components at an inspection station; irradiatingthe pinched portion of the article and the pinched fastening componentsat the inspection station with a radiation source; and capturing animage of the pinched, irradiated portion of the article and the pinched,irradiated fastening components with an image capturing device.
 17. Themethod of claim 16 wherein the fastening components comprise portions ofside panels of the pant.
 18. The method of claim 17 wherein thefastening components are engaged to form a lap seam prior to thepinching step.
 19. Apparatus for inspecting an article with multipleelements to determine if the elements are properly located, comprising:means for pinching at least a portion of the article including at leastsome of the elements at an inspection station; means for irradiating thepinched portion of the article and the pinched elements at theinspection station; and means for capturing an image of the pinched,irradiated portion of the article and the pinched, irradiated elements.20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the means for irradiating thepinched article and pinched elements comprises a radiation source on afirst side of the inspection station and the means for capturing animage comprises an image capturing device located on a second side ofthe inspection station opposite the first side of the article.
 21. Theapparatus of claim 20 wherein the means for pinching the articlecomprises first and second conveyors disposed adjacent each other andcooperatively engagable with the article to pinch at least a portionthereof.
 22. The apparatus of claim 21 wherein the conveyors arearranged so as to converge toward each other to the inspection station.23. The apparatus of claim 22 wherein the conveyors include continuousbelts which are arranged to cooperatively engage and pinch at least aportion of the article in the inspection station.
 24. The apparatus ofclaim 23 wherein the continuous belt of the first conveyor is interposedbetween the article and the radiation source when the article is in theinspection station and the continuous belt of the second conveyor isinterposed between the article and the image capturing device when thearticle is in the inspection station.
 25. The apparatus of claim 24wherein the belt of the first conveyor is translucent and the belt ofthe second conveyor is transparent.
 26. The apparatus of claim 19wherein the means for pinching the article comprises first and secondconveyors disposed adjacent each other and engagable with opposite sidesof the article to pinch at least a portion thereof.
 27. The apparatus ofclaim 26 wherein the conveyors are arranged so as to converge towardeach other to the inspection station.
 28. The apparatus of claim 27wherein the conveyors include continuous belts which are arranged tocooperatively engage and pinch at least a portion of the article in theinspection station.
 29. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein the means forirradiating the elements comprises a radiation source and the means forcapturing an image comprises an image capturing device, the radiationsource and image capturing device being located on the same side of theinspection station.
 30. The apparatus of claim 29 wherein the means forpinching comprises first and second conveyors each including a conveyorbelt, the belt of the first conveyor being opaque and the belt of thesecond conveyor being transparent, the radiation source and the imagecapturing device being located on an opposite side of the belt of thefirst conveyor from a side facing the belt of the second conveyor. 31.The apparatus of claim 29 wherein the means for pinching the articlecomprises a roller and a conveyor disposed adjacent the roller to definea nip to pinch the article as it passes therethrough.
 32. The apparatusof claim 29 wherein the conveyor comprises an opaque belt and thesurface of the roller is transparent.
 33. The apparatus of claim 32wherein the radiation source and image capturing device are located onan interior of the roller.
 34. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein themeans for pinching comprises a roller and a conveyor arranged relativeto the roller to define a nip to pinch the article as it passestherethrough.
 35. The apparatus of claim 34 wherein the conveyorincludes a continuous belt disposed between the radiation source and theroller and wherein at least a surface of the roller is disposed betweenthe image capturing device and the continuous belt.
 36. The apparatus ofclaim 35 wherein the belt of the conveyor is translucent and the surfaceof the roller is transparent.
 37. The apparatus of claim 36 wherein theimage capturing device is positioned inside the roller.
 38. Apparatusfor inspecting an article with multiple elements to determine if theelements are properly located, comprising: a conveying system forming anip through which the article passes and which is so constructed andarranged as to pinch at least a portion of the article and at least someof the multiple elements as they pass therethrough; a radiation sourcedisposed adjacent the nip and which is mounted and arranged so as toirradiate the at least a portion of the article and at least some of theelements as they pass through the nip; and an image capturing devicedisposed adjacent the nip and which is mounted and arranged so as tocapture an image of the irradiated at least a portion of the article andat least some of the elements as they pass through the nip. 39.Apparatus for inspecting two substantially mirror image side portions ofan article each side portion having multiple elements to determine ifthe elements are properly located, comprising: a conveying systemforming a nip through which the article passes and which is soconstructed and arranged as to pinch at least the side portions of thearticle and at least some of the multiple elements on each side portionas they pass therethrough; a pair of radiation sources each disposedadjacent the nip and each of which is mounted and arranged so as toirradiate a respective one of the side portions of the article and atleast some of the elements associated with the respective side portionas they pass through the nip; and a pair of image capturing devices eachassociated with a respective one of the radiation sources and disposedadjacent the nip and which are mounted and arranged so as to capture animage of the irradiated respective side portion of the article and theassociated elements as they pass through the nip.